1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to framing members. More specifically, the invention relates to framing members which have an environment resistant portion and a less resistant portion.
2. Prior Art
The closest prior art to the present is U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,943 issued to Hagle in 1997. The Hagle patent uses a composite material to provide weather resistance along the bottom of a frame.
This particular technology represents a combination of composite materials with non-composite timbers. This particular combination is well known in the prior art in various settings. The prior art envisions the use, for example, of a relatively expensive composite wood product joined to an inexpensive wood product where only the expensive wood product is to be exposed for view. One example is where carpeted steps have a exposed wooden portion. Under those circumstances an inexpensive type of timber, such as pine is joined to a more expensive end piece, such as oak so that the exposed oak provides the appearance while the inexpensive portion, the pine is covered with carpet.
Similarly it is known in the art to join composites, fiberglass, resins and plastics to frame members either because of the amount of exposure that those portions are exposed to or in order to provide additional protection against the elements.
One of the problems with using those old technologies lies in the fact that they either use two different types of untreated word or use non-timber products, such as composites, which are more expensive.
3. General Discussion of the Invention
1) Frame with Environment Resistant Members
The invention is best described as a method for combining a treated wood product with and untreated wood product so that a relatively stable, non-composite wood product is joined with a less stable wood.
In order to best understand the invention, some background in lumber technology is necessary. Historically treated lumber grossly distorted relative to untreated lumber. This is because the cell structure of the treated lumber is affected by the method of treatment. The degree of distortion in timber is likewise a function of the length of the treated timber.
Historically for finish work and door jams and window jams and related products treated lumber has been less desirable because even a fairly small length of treated lumber will warp disproportionately.
Recent advances in treatment technology have provided for KDAT lumber, or more specifically, kiln dried after treatment lumber.
This so called KDAT process provides for treated lumber which still warps but warps to a significantly lesser degree.
It should be also noted that the reason that timber is used as opposed to composites or plastics or fiberglass has to with the price and the technology used in constructing these types of products.
For example a nail driven into fiberglass has different properties then a nail driven into a piece of wood. Therefore it can often be better to join with staples or nails products which are both wooden as opposed to one which is wooden and one which is some other composite material.
This same argument applies to glues. A product which is timber will absorb the glue whereas a composite material will absorb or react differently with different types of glues.
One purpose of the present invention is to provide for a combination of low warping with treatment technologies along with untreated or very low warping treatment technologies in order to provide a wood product which has as inexpensive a cost as possible while utilizing wood and wood glues without composites and more particularly without composite at the point where the joining occurs.
The technology also allows for the use treated lumber along with composite materials for purposes which will be better understood from a reading of the entire description which describes where composites are used to further minimize the warping present with treated lumber.
It should be noted that the present technology can be used with integrated composite products so that untreated wood, treated wood and composites are all used consistently.
This might be desirable where more control is desired over the treated wood in order to prevent warping or where a smaller amount of composite material is desired in order to save cost but where a longer area of treatment is believed necessary then the area treated with composite.
In addition, the process for making the present invention a significantly less expensive than the process for using composites since all of the steps associated with the milling of composites are eliminated since only wooden are utilized in the present invention.
In the production of timber a well known technology is the joining of various lengths of timber together in order to reduce an extended length.
In a typical assembly line process, this joinder would consist of having timbers of either predetermined or almost random lengths joined in order to produce a timber member of the desired length or within a range of the desired lengths.
This process is typically described by the following steps:
1. Cutting a first lumber member so that a serrated edge providing increased surface area and more than one plane is produced; PA1 2. Cutting a serrated surface on a second lumber member so that the first serrated edge connects functionally to the several planes provided by cutting the first lumber member, PA1 3. Putting a layer of glue at the point where the first lumber member serrated edge could join the second lumber serrated edge; PA1 4. Pressing the first lumber member serrated edge to the second lumber member serrated edge; PA1 5. Allowing the glue to dry.
This technique is often used over an extended length so that ten or twenty lumber member are joined in sequence with a first lumber member connected to a second lumber connected to a third lumber member, etcetera in order to a member of desired length is provided.
The present invention uses this technology so that the end lumber piece on at least one end of a member so constructed is more highly treated lumber member.
The second lumber member which is the more highly treated lumber member would typically be defined as a second member which had warping properties which were unacceptably high in length equal to those of the first lumber member. Hence the joining of several lumber members of equal warping properties would not be covered by this technology and are accepted as old art. However having a first length of lumber of a length which would be greater then the length acceptable if a high warp material was used joined to a shorter second lumber member which the high warp profile would be covered by the broadest claims of the patent.
It is obvious to see an aligning of the first lumber member to the second lumber member is a necessary part in the process steps.
In the prior art the alignment is usually held by utilizing a press having rollers and bars to align the wood to be joined and this technology exists in the prior art.